Vitamin B6 Cuts Lung Cancer Risk in Half

People with high levels of vitamin B6 were only half as likely as other people to develop lung cancer, even if they smoked, according to new research. The vitamin is found in many food sources, including bananas, fish, and potatoes. The scientists warn, however, that no definite cause-and-effect relationship has been established and it may simply be the case that people who eat right are less likely to develop lung cancer. Smokers, they say, shouldn't get the idea that they can eat their way out of danger.

"These findings are really exciting as they are important for understanding the process of lung cancer and could have implications for prevention," a doctor at the World Cancer Research Fund tells the BBC. "But while this is an important study, it is vital that we get the message across to smokers that increasing intake of B-vitamins is not—and never will be—a substitute for stopping smoking." (More vitamin B stories.)